Code Geass: Long Memories
by ijpowers92
Summary: The world has been at peace for 60 years.  But the peace is more fragile than it appears.  A new generation of leaders is on the rise.  Secrets abound.  Danger lurks beneath the surface.  Knowledge is everything, but how does one fight an idea?
1. An enemy revealed

Well I finally decided to write a story. Feel free to criticize. You don't even have to offer solutions to problems. I just ask that you be specific.

Code Geass does not belong to me. And any original characters or ideas of mine are probably plagarised as well.

* * *

It was an older apartment building. Actually it was abandoned. The only reason the city hadn't condemned the large eyesore was because it provided the homeless with a warm place at night. The police overlooked the fact that illegal immigrants often made their homes there. Most nights the halls would be filled with people cooking food and making small talk. The sounds of life audible even from the street. There were no such sounds tonight. Not that it was quiet. Instead the sounds of gunfire and screams filled the night.

The girl was frightened. She could not remember the last time she had felt this afraid. She finished reloading her pistol and kneed a man in his crotch. Shoving him away, she quickly emptied her magazine into the crowd and ran out the door. The hall was already filled with bodies with a wide variety of injuries. Some of them were still conscious but were of no threat. The girl cursed as she realized she had used the last of her ammunition. As she turned a corner, she quickly ducked as an aluminum bat pinned her long green hair to the wall. Grabbing her attacker's arm she broke the older woman's arm and grabbed the bat. Then the green-haired girl brought it down onto the woman's head. The confrontation had cost the girl many seconds. She began running down the hall again to avoid letting another group catch her.

"_I can't believe it found me"_, she thought. She swung her new weapon low, sweeping the legs out from under a young girl who had leapt from behind a door. The child screamed as her knife, which she had been swinging, dug into her own side. _"Did that thing recruit the entire building?"_

After several more short encounters the young woman reached a fire escape. She started to descend. _"This has been going on for too long. The police should already be here. Thank god they haven't arrived yet."_ Suddenly a window exploded and the young woman's world was filled with nothing but pain and noise.

A young man crawled out of the window then tossed his shotgun and the girl's bat away. His appearance fit that of the classical "hobo" perfectly. He looked down at the young woman. She was wearing khaki pants, sneakers, a ratty blue thin winter jacket, and a lime turtleneck sweater. He smiled, showing his yellow teeth, when he noticed that her hair and sweater were the same color and that both were smeared with blood.

"Well, C.C., you certainly led me on a chase." The young man crouched down over the girl, C.C. "When did you get so good at fighting?" The man let out a low whistle. "I mean there must have been over five hundred people in their when the fighting began. Sure two hundred or so ended up running away and maybe another hundred are still looking for you or hiding, but that's still two hundred people bleeding to death in there." He stopped talking as C.C started to crawl toward the ladder. He quickly grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the railing. Sure they were only on the second story but he needed not only alive but functioning. He grabbed her face and forced her to meet his eyes. "Don't worry C.C.. You know I only want information. This won't take long I promise." Suddenly the young man collapsed and began to spasm. This continued for several seconds before he stilled.

C.C looked down at the man's face. His eyes had rolled back into his head and there was foam on his lips. _"So it worked,"_ she thought. C.C. rolled the man's body off of her and gingerly stood up. She noticed he was still breathing. After hesitating for a moment she made her way down to the ground. As she trudged away through the snow the sounds of sirens reached her ears. _"This is bad. I only made it out of there by the skin of my teeth. Next time I'm as good as dead. I …I need …I need to…"_ C.C. stopped. She needed to make a phone call.

* * *

Yeah it's short but this is my first real story. The next chapter will be longer. Probably.


	2. The Raid

So here's my second chapter. Sorry to who ever it was that I promised to get the chapter out earlier. I had a big paper to write.

Thanks to CrazyNinjaPenguin for letting me steal that character. She won't be that big of a character so I won't have that much chance to screw her up.

I don't own Code Geass. In fact most of my ideas are mix and mashes of other works.

* * *

"All units are in position. The advanced teams have begun their infiltration."

"Understood. The operation will begin at 1400 hours. Are all the targets accounted for?"

"We have the locations of the primary targets already. We'll have all the secondary targets marked within the next 15 minutes."

"Remember people, there may be a class S priority target in there. So watch your eyes."

* * *

Elysium was busy that day. Elysium was busy every day. And every night too. A city unto itself, the massive resort/club/casino/mall/brothel/strip-club/arcade/theater/theme park, offered anything and everything. Every minute of the day, hundreds if not thousands of illegal transactions occurred inside the psuedo-city, often right out in the open. It was widely known that the owners actually encouraged the less reputable members of society to use their establishment as a place of business. So long as it did not interfere with the other customers.

One such disreputable fellow was having the time of his life. Emphasis on the word "was". The young man was currently passed out in his private VIP lounge and in the process of being robbed by the two young ladies that had been flowering him with attention all morning.

"So why did you make me wait so long before sticking him with the syringe," said the first girl as she emptied the last of the man's pockets. "Another minute of that bullshit and I would have had to go down on him to keep the ruse up".

"Well you didn't, did you? Besides I had my reasons," replied her older sister.

"You were trying to milk a petty crack dealer for information! The only reason he's got this much money is because he was lucky in the casino! Not because he's some big shot!" The younger began to undress the man, cutting some of the clothing to speed up the process. His clothes, or at least the fabric, could be sold for some spare cash.

"The information I get out of these people is what keeps us out of the slammer …and alive. If it wasn't for the dirt I pick up on people, either the cops or the mob would have hunted us down by now. Instead they do business with us occasionally." The young woman finished packing away their haul into a duffel bag. "So any guesses on what's in the briefcase?"

Handcuffed to the, now naked, young crack dealer was a large metal briefcase. It had an electronic lock and was much heavier than it should have been. While the man had gleefully talked about everything else, he refused to say anything about the briefcase. In fact, he was very protective of it and constantly stopped in his merry making to confirm that it was still attached to his wrist. While he never suspected the girls of foul play he was certainly suspicious of everyone else. He actually had the wits about him to keep his back to a wall and his eyes on a door!

"No idea. Whatever it is it's important." The younger sibling grabbed the duffel bag and began to walk to the door. "I'll wait outside. You pick the lock on the cuffs. You need the practice".

"Fine."

The door to the VIP room was on a balcony overlooking a large dance floor. The sounds of the club washing over her, the girl took a moment to take in her surroundings. On the opposite side of the room a long line of tinted-glass doors led to the street. To the left was a large staircase leading down. To the balcony continued on, passing over a large bar on the ground floor, eventually reaching a smaller staircase. There was only one other person on the balcony. A shorter man, who looked about in his thirties, was smoking and leaning on the railing.

* * *

"Perimeter secure. Begin the operation."

* * *

A bright light brought the teenaged thief's attention back to the dance floor. One of the doors was open. She could make out another girl, possibly her age maybe younger step inside as it closed. The girl was dressed in black dress with a knee length skit and long sleeves. Her green hair was tied up in many tiny pigtails all over her head. The green-haired girl, now just a silhouette, didn't come further inside but just leaned against the door and looked around.

On the balcony the young woman followed her gaze. She stared at the dancing figures for a couple of moments then suddenly straightened. She ran down to the opposite end of the balcony and looked across the smaller dance floor on the opposite side of the bar. She wasn't seeing things. Immediately, she was flinging open the door to the VIP room with the duffel bag across her back.

"Didi! We need to get out of her now!" Her twin dropped her tools in surprise.

"What? What happened?"

"It's a raid!"

In moments the twins were racing down the smaller staircase. There was a fire exit through some back rooms on that side. As soon as they hit the ground floor the power went out. Immediately, people began to scream. At the same time, several scores of undercover police, who had spread throughout the crowds, converged on and captured several dozen people. More of them rushed the staircases.

Didi wasn't prepared for that. Her sister, Mimi, was. Whipping out two cans of mace she brought down the first three officers to reach the duo. Didi quickly recovered and dealt with the next two officers using a pair of telescoping batons. The unexpected resistance made the remaining officers take pause, giving the girls time to make a break for it.

The girls quickly lost their original pursuers when they made it through the hidden door in the wall. Zipping through backrooms they easily dispatched the few officers who were spread throughout the halls. Soon a few scattered emergency lights flickered on.

"That was easy," said Mimi. "So when do we reach that emergency exit anyway?"

"Be quiet. They have men stationed back here so they know about the layout. Those guys on the dance floor didn't lose track of us. They didn't follow us." Didi was scared. There were too many police officers involved in this raid. There must have been at least a hundred on that dance floor alone. Who knows how many others watching the exits? The lights were still off and they had seen no other civilians back here. This building was attached to one of the casinos! Surely somebody else made it out. "I'm taking us to a different exit anyway. It should be right around the next corner."

Sure enough the next corner immediately led to a small metal door with the word exit on it. In front of it was a woman standing over the unconscious bodies of a police officer and an older man. All three carried guns and the two on the floor were bleeding. Apparently the couple had tried to rush the guard.

"Hey lady!" yelled Mimi. "Get out the door or get out of the-"

"Move it!" Came a loud voice. Two men came rushing around the corner. Mimi stared as they pushed by the three women. That was the short guy from the balcony. And he had the briefcase! Time seemed to slow down as she watched the man smash against the door, knocking it open.

As soon as daylight touched them, everyone in the hall sprang outside. They were in narrow alleyway. Just a bit to the left on the opposite side was smaller alley. There was a dumpster next to it. Most importantly there were two police barricades on either side of the alleyway. The short man was gone immediately He never stopped after he hit the door and disappeared into the side alley. Didi and Mimi doubled back into the doorway as flashbangs and teargas filled the narrow space. The remaining man retaliated by pulling out two automatic pistols and firing blindly toward the police barricades. The older woman froze up. Both were quickly cut down in a hail of crossfire. Waiting until the gunfire let up Didi and Mimi used the teargas as a smoke screen and rushed toward the side alley.

* * *

C.C. watched as the dragon-class assault ships set down on the highway. Of course they were never referred to as such in public. It was contrary to the idea that the world was peaceful now. So everyone was supposed to refer to them as "heavy air transports". It was meaningless she thought. Everyone knew what they were really called and the average person didn't even bother being politically correct. On the other hand, the ones landing here weren't much of a military vehicle. They had been sufficiently neutered as to not "offend" and were being used as nothing more than prison transports right now.

"It's good to see you again C.C.!"

C.C. turned around surprised. Behind her was an older man of about fifty years of age. The smiling man wore a military uniform and had bright brown eyes.

C.C. smirked. "It's good to see you too, Major General Fearghalson."

"Oh please C.C., you know you can call me Ruarc. How have you been this past year? I see you cut your hair again."

"And you grew a beard. I have been fine. Work for the Directorate has kept me busy. How are you wife and kids?"

"Fine, fine. What do you mean the Directorate has kept YOU busy? You really don't need to be doing this grunt work. You practically founded the organization. To keep yourself safe no less."

"These 'grunts' are in the most danger. It's not that I care for them personally but each and every one is a security risk. It's best that I lead them, protect and monitor them. This way any infiltrations or information leaks can hopefully be prevented or more likely stopped quickly and at the source. Besides I didn't create the Directorate."

"Oh please, before you came along it was nothing but a bunch of incompetent and unconnected bureaucratic offices following a vague policy. Now we not only meet our original purpose we go beyond it. Most of it's a byproduct of the so called 'secondary' mission you've set for us of course, but crushing organized crime and domestic terrorists is a wonderful bonus in my book. No other branch of the Requiem Directorate does what we do. No other branch CAN do what we do."

"We still hit too many dead ends. We both know that we're running out of time. I just hope the archaeological teams are having more luck than we are."

"Commander! …and, um, Major General, I have the final report on the operation". A young man in carrying a clipboard computer ran up to the two commanding officers. "As of now we've captured 348 of the 349 listed targets. We've also captured an additional 147 wanted persons of varying importance. We've have about 34 casualties, but there were no fatalities. 84 civilians are currently being treated for injuries sustained, as well as 23 of the captured targets and 14 bonus criminals. All across the city we had people making breaks for it, but as of now only 3 are unaccounted for. Among them was the missing target. I'm having the identities of the other two confirmed now."

"Which target was the one that escaped?" C.C. asked coldly.

"Um…" the young man stopped and flicked his finger across the screen. "Someone called 'Gerald Meyer'." There was a small bing and the aide's face lit up. "Oh! The other two fugitives are the twins known as Didi and Mimi. You can see a summary of their files here." He quickly handed the pad to C.C.

**Delphilia Deidre (Didi)**

**Physical description**

19 years old

Black hair

Blue eyes

5'5"

**Criminal record**

Robbery

Assault

Blackmail

Bribery

Murder

Sale of illegal substances/items

Possession of illegal substances/items

Arson

Grand Theft Auto

The aid suddenly interrupted C.C.'s reading, "the other one is called Millie Miranda or Mimi. It's basically the same list. Didi's the older one and the leader of the two. The both of them are a couple of pseudo-anarchists who will work for anybody. They're both highly competent masters of disguise. No idea what their real names are though."

C.C. handed back the aid his computer and pulled out her cellphone. "Ruarc, you brought Anastasia with you right?"

"Don't you think that's a little cruel?"

C.C. dialed, "Not at all, in fact I – Anny! It's C.C. I have some people I need you to find. …Yes I'll need them alive. …No, only two of them need to be in one piece. …The other just needs to be able to answer questions. …Good. Here's what you need to know."

* * *

Things were bad. Didi and Mimi managed to make it out of the alleyways by following the short man's trail; he had taken down every cop he ran into. Unfortunately, they were still trapped. All of Elysium was surrounded by the army. The revelation that it was military forces in charge of this raid terrified the twins. Luckily many of the pseudo-city's locals were crowding the streets in order to see what was happening. Moving carefully they made their way to their car. There they dropped of their things, changed into some disguises and split up. Resolving to meet each other once the military left.

Didi followed the crowd. She was completely unrecognizable. Anyone looking at her, would see a very busty blond in high-heals, and an expensive suit. Soon she saw several massive VTOL's lifting off just ahead. _"So that's where they are."_ Didi pushed her way through the crowd until she reached the front. There was still one of the massive VTOL's on the ground. Outside a couple of dozen men and woman in military uniform ran around completing errands. A middle-aged man and a teenager stood off to the side talking. Didi recognized the teenager as the green-haired girl that Mimi told her about. _"So she's one of them. But why are they still here? It's been over half an hour since they started the raid. Mimi and I aren't high profile enough for them to keep hunting for. Could they be after that other man? Or maybe it was that briefcase."_ Didi slowly scooted along the front of the crowd. Maybe she could catch what they were saying—

"Wow. You actually came here on your own." Didi spun around. Behind her was a tall purpled-haired woman. "You aren't going to try to run? That's smart, but it's not very fun." Didi noticed that draped over the woman's shoulders were two figures. One was the short man. The other was a girl in a "sexy" Raggedy Ann costume. _"Mimi"._

The green-haired girl looked over toward them. "Anny! I want to leave sometime today. Are you going to grab her or not?"

The purple-haired woman frowned. "I'm coming." Didi never saw what hit her. All she knew was the sudden pain and then everything going dark.

* * *

So now I've introduced some of what I hope are original characters.

Anyone who guesses what's in the briefcase gets my eternal respect... and a virtual cake.

Next chapter in a week or two.

I also want to mention that I would like this story to be readable to people who haven't scene Code Geass. I will remember that no one like that is going to be reading this of course. I just think it will be a cool way to write. Of course there are characters who know things and others who don't. This disconnect will be important.

Oh and yes. Didi and Mimi really have committed murder. Some might say it was in self-defense but when you shoot first...

I think that's everything.

If you find any problems with the story tell me. I might fix them.


	3. Conscripted

I've been told that my story is very confusing, so I made this chapter to focus on exposition. Not every question is answered and more are raised but you should have a better idea of the state of Britannia and the world.

I don't own Code Geass or Snow Crash.

* * *

"The Britannian military's invasion of Elysium has sparked outrage across the nation. In Parliament, Ava li Britannia attacked the Empress as 'continuing her brother's policies of crushing all institutions that are not directly controlled by the Throne'. The Princess argued that by using military forces to capture petty criminals the Empress had overstepped her bounds. She continued by saying that had the affair been left to local police then there would not have been any civilian casualties. Princess Ava went on to contest just how many of the hundreds of 'convicts' were actual criminals, among them the President, CEO, and Executive Board of Elysium."

CLICK

"An attack on our whole socio-economic system is what it is. Just because a company is making money through activities that some might call immoral, they have to be shut down. I for one happen to love gambling and drinki—"

CLICK

"The Mediterranean Union announced today the completion of its first lunar base, joining the ranks of the Eurasian Confederacy, The United Federation of Nations, and Britannian Empire."

CLICK

"Both houses of Parliament are echoing with cries that the Empress has trampled on basic, traditional, and respected Britannian values with this most recent action by the so-called Requiem Directorate. Many have accused the Empress of being a pawn to an international organization set on destroying Britannia. Others say that she has used the Directorate as a front in order to form a 'secret police'."

"There was some light skirmishing between the UFN and several pirate groups last night. Piracy has continued to rise in the Pacific after the formation of Refuge. The large manmade island continues to circle the north Pacific growing larger every year. The international community is at a loss on what to do about the strange conglomeration of ships, driftwood, and trash. It is commonly known to provide shelter to pirates, but is also home to tens of thousands of followers of the Cult of Ashira. Many experts in the Britannian military and the Black Knights argue that the HMS Lamrei, the decommissioned super aircraft carrier that makes up the core of Refuge, should be sunk or at least separated from the rest of the 'island'. They believe that without the massive ship at its center the rest of Refuge would safely break apart scattering the pirates but not killing the civilians. Whether this is true or not is hotly debated."

CLICK

"Rumors have been flying about what led to the Requiem Directorate's attack on Elysium earlier this week. Some say that the organization known as the Inquisition was using the site as a base. Not much is known about the Inquisition aside from its stated goal to destroy the Directorate and 'tear away the lies of the world'."

CLICK

"After a long negotiation process and many rounds of voting, the South American, Central American, and Caribbean Leagues have each decided to renew the Monroe Treaty of 2037. Once again this means that South American territories will be semi-autonomous commonwealths that will be allowed to operate as their own nations under strict Britannian supervision, the Central American nations will be non-autonomous 'states' that will be allowed to govern themselves under Britannian law, and that the Caribbean territories will be part of Britannian proper with a voice in Parliament. The treaty will be up for renewal again in 2098 atb."

CLICK

"The most recent polls suggest that public support for Empress Nunnally vi Britannia is at an all-time low. At the same time Princess Ava li Britannia's popularity has been soaring recently. With Princess Ava's staunch opposition to the Empress this is unsurprising, but experts disagree on whether the Empress's drop in popularity is causing Ava's rise or vice versa. Or if the two are directly related at all."

CLICKN

Empress Nunnaly vi Britannia turned off the television. Sighing she placed the remote down on her desk and turned to face the window. New Pendragon sprawled before her. Her private office was found at the apex of the Imperial Palace, an enormous pyramid of glass and steel that wrapped around the mountain from which the rest of the city emanated. The 85 year-old monarch took in the view as she slipped deep into thought.

Several minutes later the sound of her office door opening and closing brought her back to reality.

"Ruarc. You're late."

"I apologize, your Highness. Shall we get going?"

"Please."

The major general nodded and moved behind the Empress's chair. Ruarc then calmly wheeled the older woman out of the office and into the small lobby. Certainly the Empress could have received prosthetics which would have allowed her to walk again, but by the time the technology had advanced enough Nunnally was far to accustomed to her chairs. Of course having others, like Ruarc, push her was only a formality. Nunnally was more than capable of wheeling herself or using the chairs automotive systems. Even so the Empress appreciated the image it created. Appearing to rely on another humbled her, made her more approachable to the masses. It also helped others to underestimate her. Which of the two effects she appreciated more, Nunnally was no longer certain.

Within moments they had entered a private circular elevator. As soon as the descent began the conversation picked up again.

"Ruarc, I was not aware that our actions earlier this week had upset Parliament so much."

"It hasn't actually your Highness. Princess Ava and her party have been very vocal, but they are still in the minority. Unfortunately the media bias is affecting your popularity across the nation. Many members have begun to drift toward Ava's team in response."

"And to think things would get easier when Ashford Telecommunications virtually monopolized the national media."

"I don't see why. Milly Ashford doesn't have any memories of you. She does however have memories of Lelouch, memories that would seem to contradict what everyone knows about the Demon Emperor. I imagine that it didn't take much for Ava to get the woman in her pocket."

"Poor Milly and Rivalz. To think I can't even have 'Orange' visit them."

"Having Jeremiah Gottwald undo your father's work would simply complicate things. It would also be cruel. Both of them are almost 90. The shock alone could possibly kill them. Even if it didn't they would only have more questions."

"I am aware of that, Major General," stated Nunnally annoyance slipping into her voice. "You also forgot to mention that Gottwald is presumed dead and law enforcement the world over are under orders to execute him on sight should he ever be discovered alive."

A sudden burst of light revealed that the elevator the pair currently occupied was translucent. It also revealed that the elevator had emerged into a vast underground space. Currently the elevator was traveling down a translucent tube of some sort between the peaks of two massive glass conical pyramids, one which was located on the 'ceiling' the other on the 'floor'.

Fearghalson looked out across the second city that was located beneath the one above. "I still cannot believe that the geofront ever became a reality outside of science fiction. I understand that the Geass Directorate was based in one, but to create one where there was no cavern before? It was an impressive undertaking."

"As I've said before Ruarc, after the complete obliteration of the first Pendragon, the people were willing to pay any amount to ensure the safety of the new one and the Australians' excavation technology made it very simple, if time consuming, to create the geofront, even here in the mountains. Anyways it was only an experiment to see if we could actually build a fortified base around a Thought Elevator."

The Major General nodded as the elevator entered the second pyramid. Turning his thoughts back to matters at hand, Fearghalson began to bring the Empress up to speed.

"We've finished processing and interrogating all of the prisoners. Most have no apparent connection to Legion or the Cult of Ashira. They are currently being handed over to the courts. Of those who do have connections most are only pawns. The vast majority of them don't even know who they're working for. All of them are scheduled for continued interrogation. The good news is we managed to snag a sample of that new drug."

"It didn't detonate?"

"It did. Or tried to at least. The machinery in the brief case malfunctioned. Explains why the man we captured it with wasn't the one who was supposed to be carrying it. Must have been sent to collect it before we could."

"So Legion knew about the operation beforehand."

"Not necessarily. Legion's proud and confident, but not stupid. There was no reason to have anybody connected to the Cult there in the first place if it could be helped. Most likely someone realized they had a sample on the streets that wasn't set to blow if the dealer screwed up. The man we caught carrying it was sent to retrieve the thing if anything went wrong."

"I suppose. Who was the man anyway?"

"Someone named Gerald Meyer. He's wanted for supplying drugs to dealers."

"So who is he involved with?"

Ruarc smiled, "That's the best part. The man is a Legionite."

Nunnally's body twisted around to face younger man. "You captured a Legionite and didn't bother to inform me? Ruarc! I should have been informed immediately after you found out! Why didn't you tell me first thing when you showed up? Where is he now?"

"Please calm down Empress. It's not good for a lady your age to get this excited. To answer your questions: yes; I didn't tell you first thing because you wouldn't have bothered to listen to anything else; and he is currently being interrogated by C.C. and Anastasia. An autopsy team is already waiting to start on the body as well."

Nunnally quietly eased back into her chair. After taking several deep breaths she began speaking again.

"Is there anything else you have neglected to tell me?"

"Well, we've finished interrogating and processing those twins that C.C. had Anastasia bring in. They don't know anything, but they have plenty of underworld connections. Thanks to them we now know the names of every corrupt cop and official on the west coast. They're intelligent and skilled. They don't have any loyalties and have a large disrespect for any type of authority. However, we have enough dirt on their activities to have them locked away for a long time and they know it."

The elevator suddenly stopped and the doors opened. Fearghalson wheeled Nunnally out into a small cavern.

"Where are you going with this?"

"I was going to suggest we hire them."

Both remained silent as they approached the large pillar of light on the far side of the room.

* * *

"Checkmate!" "Time!"

"Mentat! Who wins?"

Didi was aggravated. When that purple-haired bitch had captured her and her sister they were brought to this military base. For the past few days they had been drugged, questioned, poked, prodded, drugged, questioned, and drugged again. She wasn't certain but Didi could swear that bastard (Leibowitz?) had even put their menstruation cycles into that damn computer of his. Today they had finally been freed into the custody of this Mentat character and his assistants. Mentat was a freak. From the first moment that they had been thrown into the room, (some sort of mission control?) he had never left the center of the room. Only his lower face was visible in the organic looking machine. He had spent the entire time ignoring the two of them. But none of this was what was bothering Didi right now. What bothered her was that she and Mimi were being beaten in chess. By a couple of bridge bunnies!

"Mentat! Who wins?" said the one called Mary.

Mentat's head turned toward the four. "Claire's clock ran out before Mimi was mated. However Didi failed to call it in time. Claire and Mary win this match. That's brings the score to 58 wins for Didi and Mimi and 72 wins for Mary and Claire."

Mimi whirled on her sister. "Damn it Didi! What's the point in stalling if you're not going to watch her clock?"

"Screw you Mimi! I told you I needed a pawn for the win a minute ago and you never got me one!"

The girls across the table simply smirked at the two of them. "You too willing to concede that we're smarter than you?"

Didi turned back to her opponent. "Shut up Claire. You suck at this. Mary's been carrying you the entire time."

The blonde's smile disappeared. "I can't help it if I'm not that good at bughouse. If we were playing regular chess I would wipe the floor with you."

Mentat suddenly spoke, "The Major General and the Empress have arrived."

Mary and Claire immediately stood up and snapped to attention. The next moment the doors opened and a middle-aged man wheeled an elderly woman in an ornate wheelchair into the room. Mimi noticed that instead of wheels it rested atop a ball.

"At ease," said the Empress. "So these are the two you were talking about Ruarc?"

"Yes, milady."

Didi and Mimi stayed perfectly still as the old woman looked them up and down. "Where is C.C.?"

Mentat spoke again, "C.C. and Anastasia are arriving now."

Sure enough the doors opened again revealing a teenager and a young woman.

The Empress turned herself toward the new comers. "C.C! Anastasia! How goes everything with our other guest?"

The green-haired woman, C.C. apparently, smiled. "About as well as expected. Thanks to the truth serum we managed to get some interesting information out of him. Unfortunately, he didn't survive Anastasia's turn. The autopsy is taking place as we speak."

"And his package?"

"The machinery was completely destroyed and most of the sample was lost. What was left is contaminated. You'd have to ask Mentat how much use it is to us.

Mentat spoke up again, "The analysis is still on going. We've sent a duplicate to Dr. Mazur and his team. I believe that it will be of more use to him then us."

"Will we be able to use it all?" asked the middle-aged man.

"I believe that we can use it to narrow our search. However the information we received from Mr. Meyer will be much more helpful."

Mimi chose that moment to interrupt. "Excuse me, but what the hell is going on? What do you want with us?"

Didi stifled the urge to punch her sister as the room turned its attention to the pair. Her impatience might have just cost them some information on what was happening that their captors didn't want them to know.

The girl named C.C. smiled again. "The two of you are going to work for us."

Mimi was aghast. "What? Why should we?"

"Both of you are currently in our custody. We have enough information about to have you thrown in prison for the rest of your lives. We wouldn't have to do that though. We could just kill you right now and erase every record you ever existed. If you did escape, Anastasia here would hunt you down. She's the greatest hunter that ever existed. She'd find you. And kill you. Or bring you back. It depends on what we tell her to do."

Mimi didn't back down. "I'm pretty sure we could take on your 'hunter'".

Anastasia started to smirk too. Then C.C. took out a pistol and calmly shot Anastasia between the eyes. The woman collapsed to the ground.

Didi and Mimi both jumped in up in shock. The rest of the room didn't react save for a couple of winces.

Both girls stood mouths agape as C.C. calmly holstered her weapon. Then before either could say anything Anastasia leapt to her feet. Scowling, she pried the smashed bullet out of her skull. "Damn it C.C. At that range it actually hurts."

C.C. ignored her. "Anastasia here is a cyborg. The technology was originally developed during the Black Rebellion. We've had 70 years to perfect it since then. You'd be hard press to even hurt her much less kill her."

Both twins gulped and sat down. After a moment Didi cautiously asked, "If we do consent to this, what's in it for us."

Anastasia looked at them incredulously, "Aside from not getting killed?"

The Empress interrupted. "You will aid us in defeating our current adversary. In return I'll issue the two of you pardons for all crimes committed in the past and in service to us. However, if you betray us I'll personally see to it that you are both locked away in a pit so deep and so dark that you will forget what light is."

Didi nodded slowly, not noticing the shocked looks the rest of the room were giving the Empress. The twin looked at each other for a moment, and then Didi spoke up again.

"We accept."

Mary looked surprised. "You don't want to know what they want you to do?"

"It wouldn't matter."

The Major General cleared his throat. "We don't have anything for them to do yet anyway. C.C., if you would be so kind as to begin their training?"

C.C. smiled a wide smile. "I'd love to."

Silently the twins followed the teenager out of the room. Both of them wondering if they had just made the greatest mistake of their lives.

* * *

Well here it is. As scifi fans might have noticed, I've begun to steal heavily from Snow Crash.

I've more or less introduced every character of mine by this point. The other two characters I have in mind aren't that important even.

That Leibowitz guy Didi mentions in passing is all that's left of another scifi plug/joke. It was going to originally be about how the Directorate is collects and stores information about everything.

Let's see what else might you want to know?

Oh yes, Since Lelouch's death Britannia has shrunk to only exist in the Western Hemisphere. As I've tried to make it clear most of the Americas don't want to be completely tied to Britannia but don't feel comfortable with out Britannian protection/ economic aid.

Other current superpowers are the United Federation of Nations, mostly in Southeast Asia and Africa.. The Eurasian Confederation is in Eurasia and didn't want to "kowtow" to an international government.

The Mediterranean Union is made up of the Iberian, Italian, and Greek Peninsula's along with all Mediterranean islands and some random small strips of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It's mostly an economic alliance.

I'm pretty sure that's everything. Best part is that less for me to have to add to the story somehow.


End file.
